TORONTO
June 29,1998
To:City of Toronto Community Council
From:Managing Director, Toronto Historical Board
Subject:Designation Under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act - 93 Balsam Avenue
(William J. Gardiner House)
Purpose:
This report recommends that the property at 93 Balsam Avenue (William J. Gardiner
House) be designated under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:
Not applicable.
Recommendations:
- That Council state its intention to designate the property at 93 Balsam Avenue (William
J. Gardiner House) under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
2.That the appropriate officials be authorized to take whatever action is necessary to give
effect hereto.
Background:
At its meeting of March 4, 1998, the Toronto Community Council adopted a report from the
Board of Heritage Toronto recommending that the property at 93 Balsam Avenue (William
J. Gardiner House) be included on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties. The
Toronto Community Council requested Heritage Toronto to examine the possibility of
designating the property under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
At its meeting of June 17, 1998, the Board of Heritage Toronto adopted the attached report
recommending the designation of the property at 93 Balsam Avenue. The new owner of the
property supports the designation.
Comments:
Short Statement of Reasons for Designation
William J. Gardiner House
93 Balsam Avenue, Toronto
The property at 93 Balsam Avenue is recommended for designation for architectural and
historical reasons. The house at 93 Balsam Avenue was completed in 1899 for Toronto
jeweller William J. Gardiner. It was the residence of Toronto artist Nancy Caudie Wright
from 1940 until her death in 1997.
The William J. Gardiner House is a single-storey bungalow constructed of wood frame and
clad in shiplap siding. The rectangular plan is covered by a hip roof with a brick chimney.
The roof extends over an open raised wraparound verandah with wood detailing. On the
symmetrically organized principal (west) facade, the central entrance has a panelled wood
door. The principal (west) facade and side walls display extended flat-headed window
openings with multi-paned windows and shutters. There are small rectangular windows on
the north wall and a single bay window on the south wall. The interiors and three rear (east)
additions to the original house are not included as significant elements in the Reasons for
Designation.
The William J. Gardiner House is located on the east side of Balsam Avenue north of
Queen Street East. It is indicative of the modest wood frame houses constructed when East
Toronto developed as a seasonal community east of Toronto and an important surviving
example of the early growth of the Balmy Beach neighbourhood.
Conclusion:
Heritage Toronto recommends that City Council designate the property at 93 Balsam
Avenue (William J. Gardiner House) under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act.
Contact Name:
Ms. Kathryn Anderson
Preservation Officer, Historical Preservation Division, Toronto Historical Board
Tel: 392-6827, ext. 239
Fax: 392-6834
George E. Waters,
Acting Managing Director
(g:\report\1998\cc98\cc98016.thb)
copy:Councillor Sandra Bussin, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Suite 20,
Toronto, M5H 2N2
Councillor Tom Jakobek, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Suite 2, Toronto,
M5H 2N2
HERITAGE TORONTO
(TORONTO HISTORICAL BOARD)
June 8, 1998
To:Chair and Members, Toronto Historical Board
Subject:93 BALSAM AVENUE (WILLIAM J. GARDINER HOUSE) -- DESIGNATION
UNDER PART IV OF THE ONTARIO HERITAGE ACT
From:Managing Director, Toronto Historical Board (thb98022.hpd)
RECOMMENDATION
1. That City Council state its intention to designate the property at 93 Balsam Avenue
(William J. Gardiner House) pursuant to Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act to be of
architectural and historical interest.
2.That the appropriate officials be authorized to take whatever action is necessary to give
effect hereto.
COMMENTS
1.Background:
The property at 93 Balsam Avenue (William J. Gardiner House) was included on the City
of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties by Toronto Council on March 4, 1998. In its
report to City Council, Toronto Community Council "requested Heritage Toronto to
examine the possibility of designating the property at 93 Balsam Avenue under Part IV of
the Ontario Heritage Act."
The property at 93 Balsam is changing ownership at the end of June, 1998. The new owner
supports the designation.
A Short Statement of Reasons for Designation, intended for publication, follows. A
Heritage Property Report (Long Statement of Reasons for Designation), including visuals, is
attached. Both documents constitute the Reasons for Designation.
2.Short Statement of Reasons for Designation:
The property at 93 Balsam Avenue is recommended for designation for architectural and
historical reasons. The house at 93 Balsam Avenue was completed in 1899 for Toronto
jeweller William J. Gardiner. It was the residence of Toronto artist Nancy Caudie Wright
from 1940 until her death in 1997.
The William J. Gardiner House is a single-storey bungalow constructed of wood frame and
clad in shiplap siding. The rectangular plan is covered by a hip roof with a brick chimney.
The roof extends over an open raised wraparound verandah with wood detailing. On the
symmetrically organized principal (west) facade, the central entrance has a panelled wood
door. The principal (west) facade and side walls display extended flat-headed window
openings with multi-paned windows and shutters. There are small rectangular windows on
the north wall and a single bay window on the south wall. The interiors and three rear (east)
additions to the original house are not included as significant elements in the Reasons for
Designation.
The William J. Gardiner House is located on the east side of Balsam Avenue north of
Queen Street East. It is indicative of the modest wood frame houses constructed when East
Toronto developed as a seasonal community east of Toronto and an important surviving
example of the early growth of the Balmy Beach neighbourhood.
George E. Waters
Acting Managing Director
RS/KA
encl.Heritage Property Report
HERITAGE TORONTO
Heritage Property Report
William J. Gardiner House
93 Balsam Avenue
June 1998
Heritage Property Report
William J. Gardiner House
93 Balsam Avenue
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Basic Building Data1
Historical Background2
Architectural Description3
Context3
Summary3
Sources Consulted3
Attachments:
IShort Statement of Reasons for Designation
IILocation Map
IIIPhotographs
1
HERITAGE TORONTO
Heritage Property Report
Basic Building Data:
Address:93 Balsam Avenue (east side of Balsam Avenue, north of Queen Street East)
Ward:26
Current Name:not applicable
Historical Name:William J. Gardiner House
Construction Date:1899
Architect:none found
Contractor/Builder:none found
Additions/Alterations:dates unknown: three rear (east) additions
Original Owner:William J. Gardiner
Original Use:Residential
Current Use*:Residential
Heritage Category:Neighbourhood Heritage Property (Category C)
Recording Date:June 1998
Recorder:HPD:KA
*this does not refer to permitted use(s) as defined in the Zoning By-law
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
- The Beach:
Development of the East Toronto neighbourhood known as the Beach began in 1853. The
area remained the setting of country estates until the final quarter of the 19th century.
With the extension of street car and steamer service from the City of Toronto in the 1870s,
the eastern beaches attracted both occasional visitors to amusement parks and other
recreational pursuits, and seasonal residents who occupied tents and cottages along the
lakeshore. Balmy Beach Park was established in 1876. The Kew Farm, located east of
Woodbine Avenue, was renamed Kew Gardens in 1878 when it was converted to a "picnic
park" with campsites and cabins. During the 1890s, new parks joined the existing ones near
Woodbine, Kew and Balmy Beaches. This development was accompanied by a move to
year-round occupancy and improved roads and transit.
Queen Street East was extended east from Woodbine Avenue in 1887. The following year,
the extension of the street east from Woodbine to Lee Avenue coincided with the
incorporation of the Village of East Toronto (the community achieved town status in 1903
prior to being annexed by the City of Toronto in 1908). By 1896, the streetcar line reached
Balsam Avenue.
2.93 Balsam Avenue:
Following the extension of the streetcar line to Balsam Avenue, part of the latter street was
registered in a plan of subdivision in 1895. The property at 93 Balsam Avenue remained
undeveloped when it was transferred from Robert Beaty, a King Street East banker, to A. J.
R. Snow, a barrister on Sherbourne Street. The house at 93 Balsam Avenue was completed
in 1899 when William J. Gardiner, a jeweler, purchased the property. Gardiner resided
on-site with his wife and five children and acquired three adjoining vacant lots. In 1906,
Gardiner sold the property at 93 Balsam. The house remained vacant until 1910, when
William Pepper began a 30-year tenancy.
In 1940, Edward M. Caudie, a toolmaker, bought the property. Caudie's daughter, Nancy,
retained the property until her death in 1997. Nancy Caudie Wright's artistic career began at
age 16 when she apprenticed as a commercial artist with the Harry Lane Studio, a Toronto
advertising firm. She did advertising layouts and illustrations for the Timothy Eaton
Company for eight years before joining Bomark Engravings as an illustrator. Nancy Caudie
Wright worked briefly as a freelance artist before forming a studio with artists Bill Winter
and Jack Bush. During this period, she specialized in book covers and editorial illustrations
for major publications. From 1948 to 1953, Nancy Caudie Wright served as art director of
the Canadian Home Journal. As a designer at the firm of Samson, Mathews in the 1950s,
one of her colleagues was Group of Seven artist A. J. Casson.
In 1940, Nancy Caudie Wright became the first female member of the Art Directors Club of
Toronto. With the support of A. J. Casson, member of the Board of the Ontario College of
Art, she began a 10-year career as a teacher at that institution in 1958. While teaching and
working as a commercial artist, Nancy Caudie Wright pursued her interest in watercolour
painting. She exhibited with the Ontario Society of Artists and the Watercolour Society of
Canada before holding a one-woman show at Toronto's Upstairs Gallery in 1958. Following
her retirement in 1969, Nancy Caudie Wright concentrated on painting trips with fellow
artist Doris McCarthy, a former resident of Balsam Avenue. According to artist Allan
O'Marra, "Wright's watercolours¼show an unerring sense of design, masterful
draftsmanship, flawless colour harmonies, and a craftsman's understanding of the medium.
But most of all, they show her empathy for the Canadian landscape and her ability to
respond directly and spontaneously to it."
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION:
The William J. Gardiner House is a modest single-storey bungalow typical of the first
generation of houses constructed in the East Toronto neighbourhood during its transition
from a seasonal to a permanent community. Constructed of wood frame, the cottage is clap
with shiplap siding. Its rectangular plan is covered by a hip roof with a brick chimney on the
north slope. The roof extends over an open, raised verandah that wraps around the front
(west) and side (north and south) walls. The verandah has a moulded wood base and wood
columns and railings. The principal (west) façade is symmetrically organized into three
bays. The entrance with a paneled wood door is centered between two extended window
openings with shutters. The openings, which contain multi-paned diamond-patterned
windows, are repeated on the sidewalls. The south façade has a projecting bay window,
while the north wall displays diminutive rectangular window openings. The interiors and the
three rear (east) additions are not included as significant elements in the Reasons for
Designation.
CONTEXT:
The William J. Gardiner House is located on the east side of Balsam Avenue in the first
block north of Queen Street East. The house is set back from the street on an elevated lot. It
is set apart by its modest form and wood cladding in a street with larger houses with brick or
mixed cladding. At 132 Balsam Avenue, to the north, "Pinecrest" (1904) is a residential
building included on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties.
SUMMARY:
The property at 93 Balsam Avenue is identified for architectural and historical reasons.
Built for William J. Gardiner, the house was associated for the past half-century as the
childhood home and long-term residence of Nancy Caudie Wright, a noted Toronto artist.
The house, with its diminutive form, wood cladding, and modest detailing is indicative of
the cottages constructed in the area when East Toronto developed as a summer resort
community outside the City of Toronto. Predating the annexation of the area by the City of
Toronto in 1908, the William J. Gardiner House is an important surviving example of the
early development of the Balmy Beach neighbourhood.
Sources Consulted:
Abstract Index of Deeds, Plan 1183, Lot 21.
Assessment Rolls, 1896 ff.
Campbell, Mary, and Barbara Myrvold. The Beach in Pictures 1793-1932. Toronto Public
Library, 1988.
------------------------------------------------. Historical Walking Tour of Kew Beach. Toronto
Public Library Board, 1995.
City of Toronto Directories.
Morrison, Barry. "The Joy of painting as intense for well-known artist Doris McCarthy".
Article in Local History Files, Beaches Library.
O'Marra, Allan. "A Remarkable artist" (Nancy Wright). Article in Local History Files,
Beaches Library.
Kathryn Anderson
June 1998
ATTACHMENT I
Short Statement of Reasons for Designation
William J. Gardiner House
93 Balsam Avenue
The property at 93 Balsam Avenue is recommended for designation for architectural and
historical reasons. The house at 93 Balsam Avenue was completed in 1899 for Toronto
jeweller William J. Gardiner. It was the residence of Toronto artist Nancy Caudie Wright
from 1940 until her death in 1997.
The William J. Gardiner House is a single-storey bungalow constructed of wood frame and
clad in shiplap siding. The rectangular plan is covered by a hip roof with a brick chimney.
The roof extends over an open raised wraparound verandah with wood detailing. On the
symmetrically organized principal (west) facade, a central entrance has a panelled wood
door. The west facade and sidewalls (north and south) display extended flat-headed window
openings with multi-paned windows and shutters. There are rectangular windows on the
north wall and a single bay window on the south wall. The interiors and three rear (east)
additions to the original house are not included as significant elements in the Reasons for
Designation.
The William J. Gardiner House is located on the east side of Balsam Avenue north of
Queen Street East. It is indicative of the modest wood frame houses constructed when East
Toronto developed as a seasonal community east of Toronto and an important surviving
example of the early growth of the Balmy Beach neighbourhood.